Invasion of French Indochina

The Invasion of French Indochina occurred from 22 to 26 September 1940 when 36,000 Imperial Japanese Army troops under General Takuma Nishimura invaded French Indochina and took over the vital resources there. Japan had been in talks with Vichy France over allowing Japanese planes to access French airbases in northern Vietnam, but the French stalled, leading to the Japanese launching an invasion. France's government was unable to send any support to its distant colony, and the Japanese occupied the region in just four days. Japan could now blockade China from two sides, and the Japanese gained access to fuel within its own lands, rendering the United States embargo useless.